Snitches and their Supporters Unwelcome in Southern Oregon

Anti-snitch community members and activists working together successfully shut down a scheduled presentation by Luke Ruediger, an active supporter of green scare cooperating witness Suzanne Savoie (a.k.a. India). Ruediger recently self published a book he authored about hiking trails, and wilderness preservation in southwestern Oregon. He was scheduled to discuss it at an event organized by a local group called The Williams Community Forest Project. The Williams Community Forest Project chose to continue to promote the event, and even attempted to hold it after they were fully aware of the concerns of those in the community who felt that a snitch supporter should not be allowed to speak at such a forum. The Williams Community Forest Project only relented and agreed that the event should not go on when people opposing Ruediger’s participation arrived with fliers about his and Savoie’s complicity with the state’s efforts to imprison numerous environmental activists.

Suzanne Savoie was indicted in the operation backfire case that saw the arrests and convictions of more than a dozen environmental and animal rights activists who had participated in actions under the banner of the Earth or Animal Liberation Fronts. Savoie quickly decided that her spending as little time in prison as possible was worth more than her loyalty to her comrades. With Luke Ruediger by her side she accepted a deal and became a cooperating witness for the government. In doing so she agreed that that she could be called on by the government to provide information at anytime, even long after her sentence had been served. In exchange for her betrayal a judge allowed her to serve 8 fewer months in prison than she would have had to otherwise.

Ruediger and Savoie married, after she turned snitch, and now live together in a remote off-the-grid cabin, at the foot of the Siskiyou Crest, above Applegate Lake in South Western Oregon. Rudiger himself was on a list of potential witnesses who non-cooperating defendants were barred from communicating with before sentencing. Ruediger, himself a former activist has according to locals has “fully supported her decisions” to cooperate with the state. “Has lied and been misleading about the facts, and he has arrogantly and unapologetically encouraged her to rejoin activist circles.” He spoke in support of her at her sentencing.